Windham teen’s bat mitzvah project: Help St. Mary Church

WINDHAM — Sarah Bowling heard the news that St. Mary Church had been severely damaged by fire earlier this year and knew she had help.

Sarah got to work planning her bat mitzvah project to help the century-old Roman Catholic church, and it culminated Sunday with a pasta dinner at Temple B’nai Israel that will likely raise more than $2,000 for St. Mary. About 200 people attended the event.

“I just felt really sorry for them,” Sarah, 13, said. “I wanted to step in and help. I just felt like someone really needed to do something.”

The news of the fire, which happened in May, struck Sarah hard. In the midst of preparing for her October Bat Mitzvah, Sarah couldn’t help but feel as though it would be horrible to have something happen to her temple.

Her mother, Dara Bowling, said Sarah’s empathy and the fact that she had friends who attend church at St. Mary pushed her into action.

“I think she’s surprised a lot of people — including herself — with how much she can do,” Bowling said. “She’s very shy.”

Sarah pushed past her own shyness and spent months rallying the community, and in the end, it brought together Windham residents of many different faiths.

Sarah’s empathy struck a chord with many who attended the event Sunday.

“It’s really incredible,” Rabbi Jeremy Schwartz said. “I think the first part of this story is Sarah and her pure heart.”

Sister Mary Mark, principal of St. Mary-St. Joseph School, attended the dinner with Sister Gabriela, a middle school teacher, and Sister Katerie, a student at Eastern Connecticut State University. The nuns said they were pleased the community rallied to support Sarah’s efforts and help the church at the same time.

Sarah said she got everything, from the pasta and sauce to raffle items, donated by local businesses. She even got local people to provide entertainment during the dinner, including Dr. Raouf Mama, an award-winning story teller, author and professor at ECSU, and students from the ACT Magnet School at the Capitol Theater.

“I thought we might have a little small fundraiser,” Sarah said. “People just want to help. The community really comes together.”